johna's automotive blog

Top 10 Books for Car and Motor Racing Enthusiasts

2018-01-09T12:00:00+10:00

Here's my top ten favourites from my automotive book collection. Most of the books are probably now out of print but available from the usual sources as pre-read copies.

1. Cannonball! By Brock Yates

Everyone knows the Cannonball Run movie, but not everyone knows that it was based on a series of illegal cross-country races in the 1970s. A lot of what was in the movie was inspired by real events from the races!

This book tells the story behind how the races started and a chronicle of each race, including stories from many of the people involved.

Brock Yates was also involved in making the movie, and the book has some entertaining behind the scenes stories.

Motorbooks International, 2001, ISBN 9785558899986

2. To Hell and Back by Niki Lauda and Herbert Völker

A great autobiography from a legendary racer.

He shares how he got started in motor racing, the ups and downs in his racing career, and the challenges of starting his airline.

The highlight of the book for me was reading about his famous accident at the Nurburgring where he suffered serious burns, and how he got straight back to racing with little regard for anything else.

Stanley Paul, 1986, ISBN 9780091642402

3. Bob Bondurant on Police and Pursuit Driving by Bob Bondurant and Edwin J. Sanow

Learn from the man who teaches many US police how to drive.

It’s not just for police. Enthusiast drivers might also learn a few techniques for fast and safe road driving.

And you never know when learning the PITT manoeuvre might come in handy.

MBI Publishing Company, 2000, ISBN 9780760306864

4. From the Alice to the Arctic by Jeff Carter

Jeff Carter, motoring and travel journalist and writer, shares 40 years of motoring memories.

He loved Porsches and the book has stories about his many Porsches including his first 356, 911 and a Kremer turbo he once had.

The book is part autobiographical, part motoring and part travel.

Hodder & Stoughton, 1989, ISBN 9780340518571

5. Winning is not Enough by Jackie Stewart

Another great motoring racing autobiography.

He raced in an era when Grand Prix racing was extremely dangerous and he watched as many of his friends and rivals were killed in accidents. Somehow he managed to avoid being killed himself and made it his mission to improve safety in motor racing for all.

The book follows his early life and career up to 2007.

Headline, 2007, ISBN 9780755315376

6. For the Record by Ed Bolian

Another book about illegal cross-country racing (my favourite type of racing). This one is from the current record holder.

Not only does the book cover the preparation and running of his record attempt, but it also autobiographical and Ed shares his interest in cars and his various business ventures.

Independently published, 2017, ISBN 9781520302645

7. Our Gumball by Clement Wilson and Richard Dunwoody

The entertaining story about Clement Wilson and Richard Dunwoody experiences in the 2004 Gumball Rally.

It covers Clement's attempts to enter the race, sorry rally, and find a car to compete in and their adventures throughout the race.

Virgin Books, 2005, ISBN 9780753509920

8. Project VN by Pedr Davis and Tony Davis

The full story behind the Holden Commodore VN, including the struggle to keep the Commodore a truly Australian car when GM disagreed, the change from the Nissan engine used in the VL to the Buick engine.

Marque, 1988, 9780947079062

9. The Mechanic's Tale by Steve Matchett

A Formula One autobiography from a different perspective. Steve Matchett was a F1 mechanic for several teams including Ferrari, BMW and Benetton.

He was mechanic for some of the great drivers including Michael Schumacher, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, and shares the stories.

Orion, 1999, ISBN 9780752827834

10. The Man in the White Suit by Ben Collins

Ben Collins was the Stig and his book not only has a lot of great behind the scenes stories from Top Gear but is an entertaining autobiography of a true car lover and racer.

Harper Collins, 2010, ISBN 9780007331680

Book Review: BMW 3 Series E36 Restoration Tips & Techniques

2012-10-04T12:00:00+10:00

Brooklands Books has released a new title for E36 owners, "BMW 3 Series E36 Restoration Tips & Techniques". As a collector of all books about 3 series I bought it as soon as it was available.

The book is like a collection of all the information that would take you a long time to put together reading BMW forums and blogs. It's not a substitute for a repair manual as most procedures are not explained in great detail, but it gives a good overview of what commonly goes wrong and what the usual fixes are.

It would be a good start for someone looking to buy an E36 as it contains a buyer's guide explaining what to look for. Although it might scare some people off buying an E36 (but a buyer's guide for any make or model would be at least as bad).

The book is largely illustrated in a colour and black and white photos from BMW Press, lots of parts diagrams again from BMW and just like you see on realoem.com, and other photos of common problems and modifications.

The contents include an explanation of all of the different E36 variations, plus details on special models, and models from the aftermarket like Schnitzer, Alpina, etc. Then there is the aforementioned buyer's guide. There are chapters on each of the major systems (engine, transmission, body, interior, etc) and a chapter on modifications. Finally, there is a chapter containing specifications.

No big deal, but I am not sure what country this book aimed at. The author mentions classified websites from the UK, Australia and the USA. Tyre is spelt "tire" throughout. The bonnet is referred to as bonnet/hood or just bonnet. The boot is not referred to as a "trunk". I say write for the country of publication (the UK in this case). The Americans will figure out what tyre means!

I would recommend the book to prospective E36 purchasers as well as to enthusiasts. As I said it won't replace your workshop manual but should prove a valuable resource which you could check before you start searching the Internet for a problem.

BMW 3 Series E36 Restoration Tips & Techniques, by Greg Hudock, published by Brooklands Books. ISBN 9781855209435.

Postscript

There are quite a few points on which I disagree with the author.

The author states that the 4 cylinder engines, and in particular the M42, are notorious for needing head gaskets replaced (page 32 and 75). Now I have owned three M42-powered and one M44-powered 3 series and have not had to replace a head gasket in hundreds of thousands of kilometers. I also do a lot of reading online on forums and blogs and can't say that I have heard of too many head gasket failures. So from my experience, this is not true.

He also states that the 4-speed automatic transmissions that come with the vast majority of automatic-equipped cars were pretty reliable and drama free (page 34). If he means the 4L30E transmission then my experience and research say otherwise. I would suggest that 200,000km is a good life for a 4L30E, and that replacement or rebuilding is an expensive process.

The author says that to replace the rubber trim around the door handle you need to remove the door trim and the window (page 47). This is not true. There is a small inspection window covered with a plastic cover side of the door which gives you access to remove the part of the door handle you need to do this job.

In regards to the front suspension, the author did not seem to be aware that early E36 models had a similar stabiliser bar mounting to the M3 (ie. to the strut rather than to the control arm (page 51). He even labels a diagram that shows all types of stabiliser bar mounts as just being for non-M3 models after 6/92 (page 55).

In the engine section (page 78) the author explains that the M44 engine was a more reliable engine than the M42 but doesn't mention the plastic water pipes, which commonly fail on this engine.

When writing about the blower motor resistor or "final stage unit" in the heating and ventilation system the author describes it as a temperature sensor (page 89). I don't believe it is actually a sensor, just a bunch of resistors used to control the fan speed on early models and a more sophisticated speed control unit on later models with an unusual shape heat sink.

Cannonball, Bullrun and Gumball Book Reviews

2011-12-15T12:00:00+10:00

For fans of the Cannonball Run, Gumball 3000, Bullrun and illegal cross-country driving, here is my review of four books on these topics.

The first title, Cannonball!: World's Greatest Outlaw Road Race, is about the original Cannonball Run. That's right, there was a race before the famous movie.

The race was run several times in the USA during the 1970s and started as a form of protest against the introduction of the national 55mph speed limit. It was intended to prove that skilled drivers could drive cross-country at high speeds in safety.

The book is written by the organiser of the race, Brock Yates, but also features recounts of the race from the original competitors. This makes it a real interesting read in that you get to learn about the organisation of the event as well as how the race went for the various entrants.

One of the most interesting and surprising facts I discovered when reading this book was that a lot of the things in the movie (which is a favourite of mine) were based on real events. I think if the movie started with "Based on a true story" noone would believe it. But at least a few of the teams in the movie were based on actual entrants, such as the ambulance, priests and the "just married" motorcyclists. There was even an all woman team although they weren't driving a Lamborghini Countach.

There are plenty of stories about run-ins with the police, mechanical problems and great stories about what it is like to drive flat out for kilometre after kilometre (well, mile after mile) for around 35 hours or more.

Another title, Our Gumball Rally: 3000 Miles, 3 Countries, 65 Ferraris, Only 1 Volvo, covers the 2004 running of the Gumball Rally, which is an annual event in the spirit of the Cannonball Run, but not actually a race. The Gumball Rally is meant to be a navigation challenge within the road rules with a huge party each night after the days driving. Although the organisers discourage any illegal driving each year many drivers cop fines or jail time for various driving offences.

The book is written by journalist Clement Wilson and his driving partner Richard Dunwoody, a retired jockey. It tells the story of how the two got together and came up with the idea of running in the rally, securing a car, and their adventures in the rally.

The car they chose was a Volvo V70R (not that they had much choice), which was an unusual choice given that most of their competitors were in exotic supercars. But if you read the book you will find that the more discreet Volvo did have it's advantages at times.

They drove hard, they partied hard, then they crashed the Volvo. My favourite part (and probably most of the entrant's favourite part) was when they were driving through part of Africa where they were given free reign by the King to drive however they wanted. This of course meant that most drove absolutely flat out and resulted in some major accidents.

I really enjoyed the book and it is a great insight into the event. It's not just about cars and driving but the author frequently sidetracks to other interesting things just about life. And I say author because I suspect that Richard Dunwoody didn't do much writing - the book is almost exclusively from Clement Wilson's perspective.

I also read The Driver: True Life Adventures of an Underground Road Racer by Gumball 3000 and Bullrun legend, Alexander Roy.

Although I wasn't a big fan of the writing style (too much dialogue), and was often disappointed by stories that stopped short or should have been included, this is a riveting read.

Roy writes about his attempts to run his own version of Rendezvous in New York, where he sets an unofficial record for a lap around Manhattan.

There are, of course, many stories about Gumball and Bullrun antics, including the infamous "Battle of Rome".

Much of the book focuses on his attempts to break the Cannonball record for crossing the USA, which I found particularly compelling. You won't want to put the book down until the end of these chapters.

Overall, a highly recommended book for fans of this form of "motorsport"!

For the Record is a book by Ed Bolian who is the current US Cannonball record-holder, having beaten Alex Roy's time by a considerable margin.

The book is part autobiographical and Ed shares how he became a car enthusiast, his work and businesses, and many other aspects of his life.

Throughout his interest in the Cannonball record grows and his book covers preparation for the record attempt, as well as the drive itself of course.

Well written, interesting and I found it hard to put the book down and got through it in a short amount of time.

A valuable addition to the books on this topic, if not one of the best.